


Where do broken hearts go?

by anassa_anemou



Series: Not so Broken [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Banter, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Friends to Lovers, Loki Does What He Wants, M/M, Multi, OT3, Relationship(s), Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-24
Updated: 2015-04-24
Packaged: 2018-03-25 11:28:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3808720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anassa_anemou/pseuds/anassa_anemou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki's plans are never quite clear, Bucky tries to show Steve he isn't broken and Steve just needs to get his head straight.</p><p>or </p><p>The one where Bucky's comes back in Thor's arms and Steve starts figuring out his feelings for him and Loki.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aurilly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aurilly/gifts).



> Italics means past events.

  
_Counted all my mistakes and there’s only one_  
Standing up on a list of the things I’ve done  
All the rest of my crimes don’t come close  
To the look on your face when I let you go

_So I built you a house from a broken home_  
Then I wrote you a song with the words you spoke  
Yeah, it took me some time but I figured out  
How to fix up a heart that I let down

One Direction - Where do Broken Hearts Go [| Source](http://www.directlyrics.com/one-direction-where-do-broken-hearts-go-lyrics.html)  


 

And so Steve had felt as if he couldn’t breath, eyes swimming with the vision before his eyes. Against Thor’s tight smile, Steve didn't want to consider something was wrong, he just wanted to be done with this situation. Besides him, Loki’s eyes are cold, his posture unyielding and Steve tenses immediately. Loki has been helpful, especially when Dr. Doom’s robots get overwhelming, and Steve has to be grateful for the times he saved more than one member of his team, but sometimes he stops himself and can’t stop thinking about New York’s battle and what it meant to thousands of people.

“Captain, guide me to a healer, your brother in arms might need assistance.” Thor’s formality is not unusual, not when Loki’s presence still makes the god relieved his brother didn't die and hurt by another lie. Steve, thought, understands the message: beware, there are still a long way to the end of the road.

“Where did you find him?” Steve asks as he guides them to the medical floor Pepper end up insisting, after Tony almost bled out because he didn't want to go to the hospital.

“It is not hard to find something displaced if you look carefully.” Loki’s gives a clipped answer and presses the button on the elevator: he is careful not to touch it too much, one too many times they had accidents with his magic and Tony's pranks around the tower. 

Steve doesn't speak again, he is grateful for their help, enough he won’t scream and smash Loki against the elevator wall while he is anxious, but, right now, he isn't sure what to feel. He and Sam looked all around, Natasha guiding them with the clues they got from anything she could scrape out of SHIELD or from her old Russian contacts. Every time they got close, Bucky seemed to slip once again. 

“Mr. Rogers, Doctor Banner already assembled a team to take care of Mr. Barnes. As Agent Hill is still recovering, the doctor in charge of medical asks only one of you enter the room. ” Jarvis voices rings and Loki slightly jumps, making Thor's smile warm, and Steve shakes his head: the brothers still fight, and destroy their floor often enough when in rage, but Thor been protective of Loki’s ever since his pretended death.

“I’ll take him, friend. You might want to call the rest of the team and explain the situation, we might need more arms if the situation deteriorates.” Thor looks gravely at him and Steve is starting to get tired of how Thor is handling the situation. When the doors open and he moves to follow, Loki grabs his wrist, and holds him in place.

“Bring us to the Captain’s floor, Voice.” Loki’s voice is commanding and Jarvis obeys. At first Tony had taunted Loki enough, making the tower a constant game of pissing the Jotun off - Steve complained the whole time, Tony was just bullying Loki, but even he could appreciate a thoroughly wet and shivering Loki when the kitchen sink and the ice disposer exploded near Loki. “Let them do their work and when he is mended we can see how he fares.” 

They stumble out of the elevator, Loki still holding Steve’s arm and he is suddenly full with all that is happening, deflating as soon as he reaches his couch. Bucky is here, steel arm, brainwashed and probably still wanting to kill Steve. Loki is not looking at him with pity, and his posture says he won’t let Steve get down to the medical floor. Steve isn’t sure if he wants to go straight for his neck or if he should wait and discuss what the hell Loki did with Bucky: he chooses the later.

“Now you ask. Very well, I’ve been taking watch of your friend for a while, I might have wanted to bring him to my side as a champion and pit him against you, it would have been a lovely game to watch.” Steve fucking knows Loki is playing him, but he roars in rage and in one swift movement brings them both to floor, arms around Loki’s legs. “Oh, now, Captain, while you are handsome, this is not how you ask a man to bed him.” And it’s this moment that Thor enters and cocks his head to the side, eyes round with amusement. 

“You might go slow on him, brother, humans find more memorable, while untruthful, the fact you lay with a horse, than your various incursions with Midgard’s warriors. ” Thor pokes at their legs with his boot and circles them to sit at the couch. “Friend Bruce says most of his cuts are superficial, but they will run a full check up before letting us know of the situation. He is using that drug Tony and him crafted for you, with Loki’s books aid.”

Loki turns around and gets up, the expression on his face half sneer, half pleased. 

“What I was saying when you rudely interrupted me Captain, is that I’ve been watching your friend for some time, he would have been perfect to counterpoint you, but I’m bound to honor the promise I made to my brother when we buried my mother, and I’ll not destroy my family again. ” His face gets serious by the sentence and Steve sees Thor nodding at the background. Steve thinks Thor requested more than a promise out of Loki to allow him to remain in Asgard, but he won't ask about it now.

They fall into silence, Steve didn't sent word to the other Avengers, Thor remains at the sofa as if nothing is wrong and Loki paces, from the couch to the windows, and all along the room, seeing New York rebuilt itself before his eyes. They don’t speak, Steve never leaves the floor, his mind replaying Thor’s message over and over: “We have him, Steve.”

It’s not until later, much later, that Steve realizes that Loki and Thor went to together to find Bucky and that they never said they found him, but that they had them. When he thinks about Tony said about Loki’s books, Steve thinks he knows why he didn't find Bucky, is not that clues were cold, or that they weren't looking enough, it was that Bucky wasn't here, and the clues were mere illusions. Loki's books were full of traps to the sloppy reader, hints were written and then revealed - Steve will never forget Loki always operates in more than one level and not all of them are evil.

***

  
_Loki seats himself near Steve on the couch. Thor insisted Loki needed to spend more time around the Tower, if they were going to work together in missions. Steve wonders when the hell Loki became a honorary Avenger. Maybe it was when Dr.Doom altered their reality and made Tony regress to the cave, before Iron Man existed and Loki was the only one capable of bringing him back. Or maybe it was when Clint plummeted to death when a lizard creature attacked them and Loki smashed himself onto the asphalt protecting Clint after jumping to pick him on air._

_Thor had calmly explained that Loki had not died and while he had wanted to murder his brother for another lie, he understood why Loki disguised himself in Odin’s form. Asgard had need a king and Thor was ever bound to Midgard, and with the added burden of dealing with the bureaucracy of making peace with the Nine Realms. Steve didn't say that Thor was choosing to overlook Loki’s sins in the name of their mother’s love and strategically setting someone to handle the palace, while he was away, in face of Odin succumbing to his sleep when he lost his wife._

***

Bucky lays in the hospital bed, eyes closed and covered by a sheet to his chest. Steve looks at the room, Bruce drawn the curtains, making the space smaller and giving privacy to Maria. Bruce explained that physically Bucky was in perfect conditions, Zola’s brand of the serum seemed to work very similar to Steve’s, healing any sort of illness Thor might have expected.

“I wanted to make sure he was physically ok and Tony got a room just across from the Other Guy’s if we think he might need the lock-down. Thor didn’t said where they found him or why he seemed to be mostly alright.” Bruce pull of his glasses and waits for Steve to answer.

“Loki was keeping him, I don't know yet why or how he found him in the first place. I don’t think he was hurt, just that maybe they had to put him to sleep to bring him here. I still can’t wrap my head around the fact Loki teases instead of, ”

“Fucking with us.” Bruce complements.

They gaze at Bucky, his sleep is troubled, eyes moving as if on a nightmare. Steve puts a hand on his head, automatic when he or Bucky had been sick, back then. The skin is cold, all of Bucky seems chilled and Steve turns back to Bruce to ask him, but Bruce shakes his head.

“He runs a few degrees lower than you. At first I thought it was some sort of shock, but the tests show that his temperature is stable . ” The doctor turns his back to Steve and lightens a board with the info about the Winter Soldier when Steve first met him, not knowing it was was Bucky, and then the info on Bucky now. “There a few alterations on his state now, the predominant one is his brainwaves, they were similar to yours, but mostly crossed with mechanical waves, like the ones Tony codes for Jarvis, now his patterns only have minor differences with yours, explained by how you two are different people and not for some twisting that Hydra did.”

Steve stays quiet for a moment, his eyes trained on Bucky. 

“When will he wake up?”

“Allison is already wearing off the drug, he should be wake in about two hours, Tony and Natasha are already in the Tower, Sam and Clint are on their way.” Steve nods and Bruce leaves him in the room. “I’ll be back in a minute, Natasha already set the lock-down plan.”

It’s cold in the room and Steve almost wishes he had the courage to lay down next to Bucky, to hold his body against him, to share body heat, like they did when they were kids and Bucky would sneak through his window. Instead he waits.

***

For all the trouble they are expecting, Steve almost wants to laugh when Bucky wakes up and asks for a cup of water. He doesn’t move from the bed and Loki carefully hands him a glass he seems to conjure from nowhere. Tony does laugh, his eyes crinkling and waves a hand as he leaves the room with Clint in tow. 

“Do you know who you are?” Bruce asks in a soothing voice and Natasha moves from Bucky front, ready if anything happens.

“Crazy horns there said my name is August Miller.” Steve smacks his face with both hands and starts to giggle, the fucking bastard. “Looking good, pal.”

Natasha relaxes her posture and Bucky’s head turns to her in a quick movement, they measure each other and Bucky huffs, pulling himself up in bed, until the sheet pools at his waist. 

“And so I meet the little spider again.” Natasha smiles dangerously at him and before anyone can stop her launches one of her darts at Bucky’s face.

“Weak.” The dart rolls to the floor, stopped by Bucky’s metallic arm. “See, they didn’t believe when I told you escaped the Soldier, but sometimes I feel it was because he wanted you to go, because you already had escaped it.”

Natasha nods, her eyes unworried and she leaves the room, her back to Bucky, in a clear signal she doesn’t find him dangerous. Bruce approaches the table and unhooks the equipment on Bucky, letting him free and Steve half protests, but Loki intervenes.

“See, Captain, if I would have any chance at winning, I had to make him whole again. I learned quite well the first time I shouldn’t trust weak minded humans to do the job. ” No one call his bullshit and Steve wonders if he could bring Coulson back to just knock Loki a peg or two.

“Don’t worry, Rogers, I have both sets of memories, even if I wished I hadn’t.” Bucky smiles, it doesn’t reaches his eyes, but they aren’t cold as they were before. 

“The Miller joke?” Steve presses.

“The only time I’ll ever admit the guy was right in something, not enlisting was the best thing he did.” Bucky’s smile is feral now, and Steve nods. August wasn’t a bully, but he didn’t mingle with the rest of the poor kids in the neighborhood. When he learned Steve wanted to enlist he would mock him everyday, not because Steve was sick, but because he found the army to be the stupidest idea ever. 

Maybe August was right. Steve looked him up when he woke up in the present: lived until ninety three, had eight kids, two wives and a department store that is still successful. Bucky asks Loki for some clothes and he suddenly is dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt, feet bare, as he stands.

“So, am I getting locked up somewhere or will crazy horns take me back?” Bucky asks Bruce, his eyes still trained on Loki. 

“We need to ask you a few more questions, before deciding what to do.” Bruce motioned for him to sit and Thor pulled Loki out of the room. “What is your name?”

“Look, pal, I know what I did, you don’t forget shooting your friend or killing people off, not when they don’t make you forget, so let’s cut to the chase. Loki found me after SHIELD exploded, he took me somewhere, and he bound me to a cell made of glass. Over the time I stayed there, he would enter my head and send me dreams, every fucking night he would bring back memories.” Bucky pauses, his hands are twisting the bed cover and Steve heart stops when he recognizes the telling movement: Bucky is anxious. “I didn’t know where I was and the fucking cell was impossible to break, no matter how much I punched the sucker. Loki would come by, in the old man’s figure, and watch. It took me days to remember who I was. It took even longer for him to manage my memories from the 40’s and the stuff that happened between the cryo work.”

Steve stands there not knowing what to say or what to do, his eyes glassed over. 

“Loki, he,” Bucky cuts him and looks away,as he says quietly, the bravado he shown before almost null.

“He wanted company I think, broken things sometimes can work together. I didn’t want to get back, I didn’t want to face this.” _You is what Bucky doesn’t say and Steve closes his eyes. He has no idea how to deal with this._

_“Suit up, Rogers, bank robbery on Bronx, Widow and Hawkeye en route, sending coordinates and extra info to your Stark Phone. Goldilocks and Hornface went back to Asgard, I’ll keep Barnes entertained while you are away.” Tony gets back in the room, his voice loud and Steve nods, before moving to the door._

_“Cook them with gas.” Bucky murmurs and Steve hesitates at the door before leaving._

_Bucky sees double, the Soldier leaving Steve at the beach, breathing still. Now is Steve who leaves and Bucky isn’t sure if he is relieved or not._

__

***

_Loki smiles at the human laid in his old cell, Thor talked about him non stop, on how the Captain kept looking for him and never found a trace. Loki hid him, using his magic to confuse Thor’s friends, making the Soldier escape and hide, until he had enough time to craft a fissure, big enough to bring Barnes to Asgard._

_At first he wanted a triumph, something to keep at his sleeve, just like Tony said, but when he started to break the barriers built by Hydra, he learnt something that made him change his mind: Barnes personality was still hidden underneath the Soldier, not erased, but trapped and he wanted to figure out why. So he started feeding memories, those he stole from Rogers, and those he collected from Pierce._

_Bit by bit, he pushed at the barriers, making them crumble, until he found where Barnes hid his memories: a small house in Brooklyn, a tiny room with a mattress on the floor and two boys giggling at the cards they swapped franctly. The memories were hidden in the cards, one by one, as to no one see what they really were. Loki brought Barnes back then, showing him, through Heimdall, Steve and the Avengers, teaching him about Midgard in the present, preparing him to go back._

_Once, at the Other’s hands, Loki had been tortured, time and time, minute by minute in an eternal loop caused by Thanos power, and he kept hidden his memories, in the flowers of Frigga’s dress._

***

When Steve gets back home, dirty and tired, Tony is waving at the tv, his voice fond as he and Bucky watch two guys run in a red and white forest. Steve thinks the blond looks like the prince from the musical Natasha and Pepper made him watch last weekend, both of them saying he needed a break.

“No one can beat Shatner, but they are all so pretty, I’ll watch just for the men candy.” Tony plucks the bowl of popcorn from Bucky and nudges him to the side. “We can marathon the original series tomorrow, I’m sure Pepper will participate.” 

“You do know the only thing I know about this series is that it doesn’t make any sense.” Bucky steals back the popcorn and Steve coughs to see if they acknowledge he is there, because he is sure at least Bucky heard him. 

“Is all alright in here?” Steve asks as Bucky turns to him, but Tony continues to look at the tv, and steals the bowl again.

“Peachy, Cap. Since you won’t let me make suggestions to that list of yours, I’m taking over Barnes education into the 21st century.” Bucky smirks at the mention of the list and Steve looks dumbfounded at them.

“Tony here been telling me everything he knows about you, including Agent Sharon.”

“Tony has a big mouth.” Steve nods back at the elevator and Bucky grabs one last handful of popcorn and thanks Tony, before following Steve.

They go to Steve’s floor and Bucky tells Tony wants to decorate a whole floor for him, and isn’t great? Is hard for Steve to reconcile this bright Bucky with the Winter Soldier; it’s especially hard to think things are so easy when he thought he would have to fight so hard to get Bucky back. 

“How are you feeling?” 

“Ok, Loki only knocked me so he could bring me here, if he meant harm, well, let’s just say I’m not sure I could knock him down.” Bucky shrugs and looks around Steve’s room. “ Thor said Loki tried to destroy New York and I punched the punk, Steve, but him and I, we aren’t that different.”

“Buck.”

“Look, I know this is weird, it’s weird for me too. I’m the guy you grew up with and the guy that got frozen in between killing people. I have no idea what to do, but while I was in Asgard, no one knew me and I could pretend those things didn’t matter. ” Bucky pushes at his hair, making it get out of his eyes. 

“Ok, ok.” Steve holds his hand and Bucky holds it, squeezing, until he pulls Steve in and they hug. 

Bucky can count on his hand the amount of times he was the one being hugged by Steve post-serum, how the strong arms pulled him tight, afraid Bucky might disappear again, just like when they were finally back at the camp, after Steve saved him from Zola’s experiments.

He doesn’t let go and Steve keeps the hug just as steady.

***

_Bucky leans against the palace walls and sees Loki handing justice to the men and women that come looking for the king. They are rude sometimes, and every time Loki handles them and finds a way to resolve the problem creatively. Thor joins him on occasion, and in those days people are less violent in their disgust._

_When Loki finishes for the day and comes to Bucky, they leave the castle side by side and go walk on the streets, protected by Loki’s illusion they visit taverns, drinking and dancing with women. Sometimes they will go swim at the lake, and Bucky always tries to pretend drown Loki, but he is scrappy, just like Steve was before turning into Captain America, and just drowns Bucky instead._

_“Do you like here?” Loki asks and Bucky gets he is asking if Bucky would like to stay in Asgard._

_“I do, but when I stop being a chicken, I have to face him.” Loki nods and jumps at him to pull him back into the water._

_“Next time, I’ll throw you back to Midgard.”_

_“You wouldn’t dare, fat head.”_

_Loki shook his head and splashed Bucky in the face, prompting another fight._

***

Loki and Thor return, less worried than before, Thor hand firmly planted on Loki’s back. Steve is trying not to look, and focus on his cereal, but Bucky is all tense beside him and he isn't sure why. If Bucky got along with Loki he probably shouldn't feel this way, unless Bucky was lying and he was always good at that when he wanted to hide and protect Steve.

“Did you forget to tell me anything?” Steve nudges Bucky and his friends turns to him with a guilty face.

“I might have missed something, yes.” Bucky looks at Loki and he is smirking right back.

“What Barnes didn’t tell you is that while I managed to get back his memories and suppress the Soldier, he is still there, in his head, and he still needs training to separate himself of the program Hydra built in him.” Loki looks please with himself and Steve asks what this training consists off.

“Loki gets inside my head and separates the memories, and I try to distinguish between what he plants in my head and what are my true memories.” Bucky scratches his head, before finishing to eat the banana in front of him.

“I wouldn’t let the bastard inside my head, ever again.” Clint grunts from the other side of the table and leaves the room, Bucky can see a pattern, Loki appears and Clint leaves - then he remembers Loki knows how to control minds since he was a kid, and he did it with Hawkeye and that was his opening in the plans for the alien invasion.

“It’s not like that, it looks like therapy, but with magic.” It’s futile to try and explain is safe to Steve, he has a protective frown on his face, so he just suggests that Loki shows how it is and that’s, well, that’s is his downfall.

***

Everyday, Loki comes from Asgard and sits comfortably in the grey chair by Steve window. Everyday, Steve sits by Bucky side in the couch, holds his hand and waits to be transported to Bucky’s memories. Every-fucking-day, Bucky tries hard to pick up the signs of memories that were implanted, memories Hydra crafted and the ones Loki alters to look truthful. In between, he watches tv with Tony and gets check ups by Bruce and begs Thor to take him back to Asgard. Thor never listens.

Natasha sometimes comes to stay with Steve and sits, watching the the three of them, face clear of emotion, sometimes she brings a book and mutters under her breath, things she knows about the Winter Soldier and the Red Room and is extra hard for Bucky to separate the memories, but he tries, extra hard. 

By the second month he is in the tower, Tony presents a wing in Steve's floor and they move the sessions there. It’s when Bucky begs Loki to take it slow and do it once a week, because he just fucking needs to have a breath and Loki sort of disappears.

***

_Steve can believe at what he sees, Bucky and Loki eating side by side in a tavern, joking around. The two of them in horses, Loki teasing almost fond. He sees Bucky and him back at his house in Brooklyn, eating watery soup and talking about the banquets they will have when they grow up. There is the Soldier and Natasha running and running and the gunshot sound as she falls to the ground. The memories pass by in speed, so fast he has no idea how Bucky can differentiate them._

_He prays, quietly, that he can forget some of the things he sees._  



	2. Chapter 2

“Do you think he is mad at me?” Bucky asks Thor at breakfast and Steve stops eating the scramble eggs Bucky made him. 

“Loki has diplomatic issues to resolve with the Jotun, since father entered the Odinsleep after mother’s death, and he pretended to be the king, he made progress in establishing a new peace agreement. ”

“Do they know is Loki?” Steve asks, going back to his breakfast.

“Yes, I made sure, once I found out, that Loki was crowned, with me as his war counselor. Most of them still don’t believe him, but since he helped me after mother’s death and been working trades that benefits the people greatly, they are starting to come around.” Thor asks for more eggs and bacon and Bucky serves him, metallic arm glinting with the grease from the frying. 

When Steve told the rest of the Avengers Bucky used to cook for them, when either his mother or him were too sick, and his food was great despite the little ingredients available, Tony demanded he cook and when, even Clint started to warm to him, he end up on kitchen duty. Bucky didn’t mind, since he was being kept away from the public eye and all of the others had side jobs, he would stay at the tower, while the other came and went. 

“Will you take me there? I miss Asgard.” Bucky doesn’t say “I miss Loki” and he doesn’t have to, because Thor shakes his head immediately. 

Bucky huffs and drops the pan inside the sink, not caring for Clint moaning about just one more plate. If Thor won’t help him, he has to figure out a way on his own. As foolish as it may sound.

***

Three weeks later and Bucky is nowhere close to go to Asgard and Steve seems to be growing more and more worried. He doesn’t know what Loki is to Bucky, but it’s clear, while they worked on Bucky’s control that Loki knew all of Bucky’s memories. 

“Maybe we can request a formal hearing, if Loki is only interested in diplomacy, he would listen to a Midgard party, wouldn’t he?” Steve looks back at Bucky, laid in Steve’s bed, smiling slightly as he looks through Steve’s art notebook. 

“Thor seems to believe Loki needs to be able to focus on the task at hand, they are trying to have allies against Thanos.”

“I know, Steve, Thor repeated that to me until I wanted to throw up, but if Loki is not here, it is because he is having a hissy fit over me asking to do less therapy. I just want to see him, that’s all.”

“Why?”

“He is important to me, I liked talking and hanging out. It was fun to get him to curse.” Bucky smirks and Steve remembers a time Bucky hadn’t been a gentleman with the dames, but got on their nerves until they agreed to hang out with him; then, Bucky had been scrawny like Steve.

Steve lays down next to Bucky, feet tucking into his thigh. It’s sunday and Thor is on watch, so he and Bucky agreed to expend the day in bed. In the day, they hadn’t money for anything, so they would share Steve comics books or Steve would read Ma’s rare romances and they would pretend not to be hungry. Now they have music playing, courtesy of Jarvis and all the food Tony manages to order and they both pretend not to feel guilty as they attack it.  
“I think I want to go to a bar, do you think Tony could disguise the arm? I just need to get out of here, maybe dance with some bird, or chat up a lad.” Bucky say it innocently and Steve turns around to look him in the eye.

“Did you, back then?” Bucky doesn’t need to ask what.

“In the army, some. Most nurses were married or wouldn’t give their time to a low soldier. A hole was hole, when I had my teeth shivering.” Bucky look aways, dropping the notebook to the bed and mentions to get up.

“Did you want, you know, to have someone? Not just sex, but go on a date.”

“Only twice, both times they disappeared on me, or maybe I did on them.”

Buck leaves, their plans forgotten and Steve closes his eyes, trying not to think on what it means. He wonders if Loki will get back, if Bucky will want to try with him, if they did something while Bucky was in Asgard. Maybe Thor knows, he tries to sleep as he thinks in ask his friend about it. Tomorrow he will ask.

***

When Bucky is almost pulling his hair out, Loki appears at the bar Tony decided to take him. It’s a exclusive club, and Tony got Pepper permission to come along and Bucky teased him, Jarvis reproducing the whip cracking sound for him every time they mentioned their bro outing. Tony is still a bit mad Jarvis seems to bend for Bucky.

“Decided to show up, fucking finally.” Bucky pauses at Loki’s smirk, eyes fixed at Tony being chatted up by what he is certain is a guy in a mini skirt.

“Came to see you make a fool of yourself trying to seduce one of this ladies, I’m quite sure they prefer the company of other female humans.” Loki winks at the bartender and the guy brings him a green milk drink.

“Stop mucking with people’s heads.” Bucky swallows a big gulp of his own whiskey and tightens his hair into the pointytail he is using.

“Oh, are you jealous I’m not messing with your head instead?” Loki’s tone is dangerous and Bucky holds onto his wrist, trying to harness the energy he is sure Loki is gathering. 

“You helped me, and I wanted you in my head, but you left.” Bucky releases Loki’s wrist and turns back to see Tony coming back to them. 

“Reindeer Games is back.” Tony shouts and pats at Bucky’s arm, sometimes is strange how Stark can be so caring with him. “I think we can ditch this place, I drank, I danced and now I want to get back to my lovely lady and I don’t wanna hear Capsicle wanking my chain over you doing something stupid.”

“I just arrived and I assure you I can handle Barnes fine, Stark. Go to bed like a little kid and let us be. ” Loki vanishes Tony and pulls Bucky to the dance floor, his eyes twinkling with mischief as he brings Bucky in. “We should have approximately twenty minutes before your captain appears here to take you to bed.”

“So let’s enjoy it.” Bucky pulls Loki in, the metallic arm safely hidden under his leather jacket and the prosthetic skin Tony and Bruce adapted for him. 

They dance, or at least Bucky tries to imitate the smooth movements Loki and the rest of the crowd are making, he isn’t very successful, but Loki seems to just laugh at his awkwardness. Is not until Steve is there, pressed against his back and asking low on his ear if everything is ok, that Bucky realizes he has no idea what he is doing. Or what he is feeling.

***

 

That night, when they come back to the Tower, Loki and Steve sleep in his bed, one on each side of him and he dreams of Asgard, of him showing Steve the cabin him and Loki had been building before Loki smacked his head and brought him back to Earth.


	3. Chapter 3

Steve isn’t sure what is happening, but he stays quiet and looks at Bucky and Loki, both of them trying to assemble a pile of wood. Bucky curses and Loki smirks and then Bucky drops a piece in Loki’s foot and Loki pinches him hard, making Bucky wince. They don’t pay attention to Steve, not until he laughs when what now he thinks is a drawing table falls to the floor without support. 

“Captain.” Loki smiles innocently and shoves Bucky to the side, striding to him and pulling him out of the bedroom. “Now, you will pretend you didn’t see that and will stay out of your room until Barnes is finished. ” 

“Is that for me?” Steve nods to the door and he hears Bucky murmuring “fuck, fuck”, on the other side.

“You know it is, and while I wanted to assemble it by magic, Barnes wanted to do it by hand.” Loki says it threatened, but Steve can hear the hint of softness behind.

“I’ll go over to Bruce’s lab then and check on his report from the last mission.” Steve smiles at Loki and turns in time to see Loki fixing his hair behind his ear. “Thank you.”

Loki nods, without comment, moving to turn back to the bedroom, he pauses and Steve waits to see if he will say anything. He doesn’t, so Steve leaves to find Bruce and wonders what prompted Bucky to buy him a table.

***

Steve only returns to his floor by night, having spent all the afternoon with Bruce, while the doctor worked on more differences between Bucky’s and Steve’s serum. Tony joins them at some point and they discuss if he can make upgrades to Bucky’s arm and if he could trade the arm for one that is fully operational, but less showy. Natasha and Fury were discussing with Steve, just last week, on how Bucky could add more help on the ground, leaving Thor to manage the sky with Tony.

They agreed that over a larger time period, with Loki’s sessions and a psychologist help, Bucky could be integrated to the team. As a leader, Steve would appreciate the help, but as a friend, he is still trying to figure out if Bucky is ready to be thrown so soon to the sharks. 

By the window is the table, large enough for Steve to sit comfortably, with two lamps on each side, copies of the ones he used to love at the library near his school. The table has a slight inclination and space for his legs beneath, a holder with a glass on one side and another the various pencils and pen on the other. He when sits in front of it, in a comfy leather chair, he finds two drawers, full with paper and watercolors and pencils. It’s the best thing in his room, the best present he ever won and the tears fall silently.

Bucky had wanted him to have drawing material back them, but everything was so expensive. Once, he stole from a kid a box of colored pencils and Steve made him return it, but he always remembered their weight in his hand and the wood smell when he pulled one out. 

" I think he likes it. " Bucky smiles in the dark and Loki's long fingers poke at his side.

***

_Loki brings the shield back to the Captain, his own staff strapped to the back of his back. They look at the carnage and Loki turns his eyes away: from his staff starts to glow a bright orange light, it casts a blush to everything it touches. The time stands still, and Steve can hear the wailing of the women that just lost their whole village._

_They didn’t get here fast enough. Loki’s voice joins them, in a language Steve doesn’t know, but the wailing turns into mourning and he manages to hold Loki before he falls to the floor. The god doesn’t cry and Steve doesn’t expect him too, but they saw the village burn and what remains; nothing ever remains in war._

***

“Do you think tomorrow will be fine?” Bucky’s voice is rough with sleep, his eyes half closed, stubborn to stay up.

“If you follow the plan.”

“Nat always says your plans never work.”

“Maybe that’s my plan.”

Steve ruffles Bucky’s hair and pulls him against his chest, he feels a weight drop against his back and one of Loki’s legs falls on top of his. They’ve been sleeping in Bucky’s bed for a few weeks, neither caring for Clint’s taunting or Thor’s happy jests. When they are hidden from everyone here, time seems to stand still and Steve doesn’t have to worry with Loki turning his back on them or Bucky mind snapping or even him ruining everything with his fears.

The time fucking stands still and Steve doesn’t care for his tongue one bit. He will deal with the metaphorical soap later if he has to.

***

 

“It’s your time to make breakfast.” Steve nudges Loki and the god pinches his asscheck. 

“No naughtiness before lunch.” Bucky gravely says from the other side of the bed.

“I thought it was my time to prepare the morning meal.” Loki bats his eyelashes and moves from the bed.

“Fuck.” “Loki!” The god doesn’t look back as he leaves both humans half frozen in bed, he wants them perky to start the day, and what a better way than to start with a good morning shower?

Loki giggles the whole way to the kitchen, maybe he can switch Clint’s coffee again, or hide Mjolnir. Though it’s been some time since he caught the Man of Iron, and he surely needs to remedy that. Loki squeals and he is caught in a sandwich of human arms.

“You shall pay!” Loki screams and teleports to the other side of the room, smiling when he appears with a fluffy pillow. 

Steve thinks he makes a beautiful picture, long hair pooling around his shoulders, one of Steve’s shirts on, pale legs and bare feet, half wet from the hug. If he could he would take a picture now or simply sit out and drawn it in charcoal and green pencils. Bucky leans against him and Steve thinks he is thinking about the same thing, because he squeezes Steve’s waist and buries his face into Steve’s neck.

“For Midgard!” Bucky moves from Steve and pulls one cushion from the sofa, immediately hitting Steve in the head. 

It’s funny and Steve is glad he doesn’t have to worry about hurting them. When they are done, the bacon Loki put in the oven burned and the place is full of feathers everywhere. Steve manages to get a promise of new pillows from Asgard, standing by Bucky's words of praise, apparently they were better than anything he had ever had. 

“Come on, I’ll take you out.” Steve gets up, offering a hand for both of his...Steve has no idea what to call them and he tries to distract his mind as they change and move around his floor.

“Come on, jerk, you promised breakfast.” Bucky shoves him out of the door and Loki comes up behind him to hook his chin in Steve’s shoulder.

“A banquet or nothing, Steve.” 

It’s funny how Loki started to call him by Steve and he never even thought about it; he still confused, but the warm feeling inside comforts him.

***

Bucky slides his hands over his chest, and it feels amazing: the hot skin under him, his mouth watering to lick and bite. He is pushed over, boxed in between them, a quick tongue licking at his neck, hot and wet and Bucky just rubs forward, cock hard. 

Bucky wakes up and just groans into his pillow. Fuck, fuck.

***

 

Loki gets a drawer, then part of his wardrobe and suddenly Steve’s drawing table moves to his side of the floor, both him and Loki innocently arguing is just sound, because the light in Bucky’s apartment is much better than Steve’s and there is more space, because his couch is much smaller than Steve’s “L” one. Steve’s shirts and exercise gear keep appearing in Bucky’s laundry, Loki stealing the firsts and the second ones laying around after him and Steve came back from their morning sessions.

They eat more and more on their floor and less at the common area, Thor invades his room more and more, coming to see if Loki is alright and dragging him back to Asgard for his king’s duties. With time, Bucky thinks they will have to ask for some redecoration, because right now it’s almost getting cramped. 

“Loki wants to take us to Asgard next weekend, he feels that we need to do a road trip like the movie we watched last week, and I can’t convince him the Bifrost can't count as a road. ” Steve gives him a one arm hug and Bucky pulls him in, making his friend blush.

“I can’t wait to take you to the lake.”

“So I can finally be able to drown you, punk?” 

“Only in your dreams, jerk.”

One week later, by the time they arrive at the park, the place Loki said would be easiest to travel, is empty. They huddle together, Loki’s arms around both of them and in a flash they start traveling. Steve smiles at the colors, they shine and reflect into both Bucky and Loki and he thinks this is another camera moment.

With a lurch they arrive and Steve sees the famous Heimdall holding the sword of the Bifrost. He doesn’t speak and Steve nods at him, and he sees a small inclination as response. Bucky, ever so unbashful, slings his metallic arm around the guardian’s shoulder, and Heimdall doesn’t even blink.

“Follow me, we must hasten into the castle.” Loki motions them to follow and Bucky winks at Heimdall, before following the god.

As they walk in the bridge Steve sees people milling around, curious by Bucky’s and Steve’s tall figures behind their king. Many of them sneer and Loki looks at them with a cold face. There is a little kid, near the palace, that runs right into Bucky’s leg and Loki pulls him up. A few of the people around look at him and the king hugs him against his chest, the toddler just cuddles to him and starts playing with his hair. When they are inside and Steve is a little worried, Loki winks at him and brings them to the kitchen where he gives the boy to a beautiful maiden. 

“The little imp was outside again.” Loki smiles at the woman and she shakes her head, smoothing his hair.

“Eoghan wanted to find you.” She smiles again, soft and warm and Steve stiffens at Loki’s back.

“Bring him to the banquet, you will sit at the royal table. ” The woman nods and the whispering starts all over the place.

Later Steve learns that Brenna’s husband died when the Frost Giants were lead by Loki to the vault and that, when he became king by his own rights, he brought the girl to work at the castle, giving her board and food until the boy was big enough to be taken care by the other woman, leaving Brenna to manage the kitchen after Frigga died.

They swim at the lake and Loki takes them to the hot waters caverns, Steve has so much fun he isn’t sure why it took him so long to come. The banquet is nice, and Steve still doesn’t get drunk, even if Thor keeps filling his cup, every time he empties it. They finally move to Loki’s suit and Steve wants to marry his bed.

“Can we just stay here the rest of the weekend.” Bucky snorts and Loki raises one of his eyebrows. 

“We might figure out this then.” Bucky says it seriously and Steve almost stops breathing.

“What!” Steve squeals and Loki gives him an unimpressed look. 

“The giant Asgardian elephant sculpture, of course.” Bucky moves to lay by Steve side, one hand in his thigh. “If we are going to stay in bed, we might want to be a bit adventurous.” 

“Oh, but you presume too much, human. It is my bed.” Loki smirks and Bucky moves from the bed to stand in front of him. Bucky leans in, metallic arm pulling Loki to his chest and Loki smiles dangerously, before pushing him to the headboard wall. “Don’t kid, you might not deliver.”

“Oh, but I’m ready, big baddie.” Bucky kisses the corner of Loki’s mouth and moves back, pulling him back to get back at Steve. “Now, let’s join the stupid punk that still didn’t say anything.”

“I’m not sure this...” Steve is cut by Loki pouncing on him, lips smashing into his mouth.

They kiss and Loki slows down, pulling at Steve’s lower lip, dragging his teeth down to find the spot behind his ear; Bucky smiles against them, hugging Loki’s waist and making him sprawl Steve into the bed. 

“No hesitating Steve. I fucking waited to long for this.” And Steve doesn’t argue.

Loki kisses them both and puts them to sleep, magic swirling around them. 

“Sleep, sleep, little humans, tomorrow you shall be mine.” He smiles and moves them until he is cuddled in between them. Loki is just too tired to deal with sex right now, Eoghan drained his energy. 

Tomorrow, after a delicious breakfast, he will get what he wants.

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, so I hope you liked, I tried to squeeze in all I could from your request - I might have got a little bit excited.  
> I like my poly even too, so I hope I didn't rush too much, but I wanted to show a little bit of each pair, before joining them. As soon as this fic is all set, I'll write some smut, because I just couldn't squeeze it in here, with the time I had.


End file.
